Chap. 955.—An ACT to incorporate the Virginia state horticultural society,
and to define its powers and duties.

Approved March 7, 1900.

Whereas the fruit growing interest of Virginia are of great and
growing importance, comprising one of the most important sources
of the wealth of the state, and bringing annually to her people more
money from beyond the borders of the state and furnishing more em-
ployment to the people of the state than any other one industry; there-
fore,

1. Be it enacted bv the general assembly of Virginia, That the
Virginia state horticultural society, as at present organized, is hereby
created a body corporate under the style and name of the Virginia
state horticultural society, and that to the same is granted in per-
petuity all the privileges, powers, and rights of corporations under the
general laws of this state.

2. The objects and purposes of this society shall be to foster and
encourage the horticultural interests of the state by conducting ex-
perimental work to illustrate scientific methods in horticulture, and by
holding public meetings and exhibitions in the several sections thereof
for the presentation of reports, exhibits, papers, and discussions deal-
ing with all phases of horticulture in this state.

3. For the purpose of carrying into immediate effect the objects
above stated, the following persons who constitute the present officers
and directors of said society shall be the officers and the board of
directors of the Virginia state horticultural society: Samuel B. Woods,
president; A. F. Mosby, first vice-president; J. B. Watkins, second
vice-president; W. H. Boaz, third vice-president; William B. Alwood,
fourth vice-president; David O’Rock, fifth vice-president; Walter
Whatley, corresponding secretary and treasurer; George E. Murrell,
recording secretary, and in them and their successors, when duly elected
as hereinafter provided, shall be perpetually vested the rights and
powers of this corporation.

4. It shall be the duty of the above board of directors to adopt and
publish a constitution and by-laws for the government of the Vir-
ginia state horticultural society, and when so adopted and published
it shall not be altered or amended except by a majority vote of the
members present at any regular annual meeting of the society.

5. This society shall hold at least one annual meeting at such time
and place as the board of directors determine, and at each such meet-
ing shall elect a president and one vice-president for each of the six
physical divisions of the state, a recording secretary and a corresponding
secretary and treasurer; which officers above enumerated shall con-
stitute the board of directors of the society in succession to those
named above.

6. For the purpose of enabling the societv to publish and distribute
its report there is hereby appropriated five hundred dollars out of the
revenue to be derived from the tax imposed upon fertilizers, and the
commissioner of agriculture is hereby directed to draw his warrant on
the treasurer of this state for any sum not in excess of the amount above
stated, on the presentation to him by the president and treasurer of
duly itemized and certified bills of expenditures made in pursuance of
the objects of this act. The board of directors shall have power to
choose the location of the two sub-experiment stations, and to define
the line of work to be undertaken thereat, but the execution of the
said experiments shall be conducted by an agreement between the board
of directors of the state horticultural society and the board of control
of the agricultural experiment station, under which the horticulturist
of the state agricultural experiment station shall be charged with the
details of the conduct of said experiments, and the results thereof shall
be published in bulletins from the said state agricultural experiment
station, and the records of the same shall be retained permanently in
the office of the said horticulturist.

?. The reports of this society shall be distributed as follows: Five
copies to each member of the legislature; five to the governor, and
five to the auditor, two hundred and fiftv to the commissioner of agri-
culture, and one to each county clerk’s office in the state, and the rest
as the board of directors of the society may direct.

8. The society shall make an annual report to the governor, giving
in detail its operations and expenditures under this act.

9. All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this act are hereby re-
pealed.

10. This act shall be in force from its passage.